【One Piece】Dawn in the Darkness

Chapter 461 Luffy, you've gotten a lot stronger!

"Not bad, Luffy." Ace smiled smugly. "You've gotten a lot stronger!"

Luffy grinned, rested his hands on his knees for a moment, and said, "Of course!"

"However, you're still a long way from defeating me," Ace joked as he charged forward.

"Gear Second!" Luffy grinned, striking a familiar pose. Before Ace's burning fist could even touch him, he vanished, instantly reappearing behind his brother.

Lucci and Sabo exchanged a surprised glance. Lucci frowned as he looked at Luffy's form, his skin glowing a vibrant pink, while a large amount of smoke-like substance emerged from Luffy's body.

"Jet Pistol!" Luffy grinned, shooting his right arm toward Ace's chest, but it went right through. Luffy frowned in displeasure.

Ace's expression turned crazed, and before Luffy could retract his arm, he suddenly slammed it towards Luffy like a cannonball.

Although Luffy dodged many of his flame attacks, he was still at a disadvantage. Before Luffy could use the same move to attack him again, Ace grinned.

He knew, of course, that Luffy's punch, imbued with Armament Haki, could hit him, but he wouldn't give Luffy the chance. Ace twisted his waist to the left and delivered a right hook to Luffy's side without hesitation, sending him flying and crashing into the steps. The pink color disappeared from his body.

Ace looked at Luffy lying on the ground with a smug expression and said, "You lost."

Luffy pouted and jumped up from the ground. "This isn't fair! Let's do it again!"

"Why? So you can lose again?" Ace grinned, his smile never fading since the start of the fight. "But Luffy, you really surprised me. You've gotten even stronger since I last saw you."

"Luffy, what's with that skill of yours?" Lucci asked Luffy.

"Gear Second!" Luffy grinned. "This is my new skill. I've increased my blood flow, which makes me even faster!"

"Wouldn't that create a huge burden?" Lucci instantly understood Luffy's meaning and frowned. "Can your body handle it?"

"Only Luffy's rubber body can withstand this method; a normal person would probably have their blood vessels burst," Sabo said thoughtfully.

"Ah, right, that's what the leopard said too," Luffy said with a bright smile. "But I'm fine, I'll just be really hungry after I finish eating!"

"It seems the energy will be used up relatively quickly after use." Lucci was relieved. "Then we just need to replenish the food, right?"

"That means he'll have to eat more food than before," Ace joked. "Luffy, can your crew afford to feed you?"

"Of course!" Luffy waved his hand at them, a bright smile on his face. "We have lots of gold!"

"Ace, it's our turn to fight now!" Sabo turned to Ace with a sly smile. "You're going to lose."

"Come on, I'll show you who really loses," Ace said, dissatisfied.

"Luffy, you've gotten a lot stronger." Lucci patted Luffy's hair and chuckled softly.

"Hehehe." Luffy grinned, rubbing his finger under his nose. "I'll surpass you soon, Lucci!"

"Not so fast, Luffy," Lucci teased, ruffling his black hair even harder.

"You underestimate me!" Luffy pouted, turning back to watch Ace and Sabo's battle. "I'll surpass you soon!"

Lucci chuckled and patted Luffy's head before turning his attention back to the battle between Ace and Sabo, who were still locked in a standoff, with Ace clearly being more cautious.

Because he didn't know what Sabo's actual abilities were, he was waiting for Sabo to launch the first attack, but they really didn't understand Sabo's fighting style anymore.

"Jozu!" Lucci grinned at Jozu sitting to the side. "Who do you bet on to win?"

“Ace,” Jozu said without hesitation.

“Then I’ll give you Sabo.” Lucci’s face revealed a sly smile. “Ten million Berries. If I lose, you give me double.”

"So many?" Joz hesitated.

“If Sabo loses, I’ll give you three times the amount.” Lucci looked at Jozu, giving him a seemingly innocent smile. “Isn’t that a good deal?”

“Okay!” Joz immediately nodded in agreement.

"Lucci, I want to play too!" Luffy excitedly reached out from the side.

"Do you have any money?" Lucci asked with a grin, knowing that Luffy didn't have any Beli.

"No." Luffy lowered his head in frustration.

"Then let's just watch their fight." Lucci grinned and patted Luffy's head. Looking at Ace, who was still confronting Sabo, he suddenly had a good idea. He turned to Luffy and said gently, "Luffy, can you go cheer for Sabo from the sidelines? I'll buy you some meat after it's over."

"Okay!" Luffy immediately agreed excitedly. "Shall we cheer for Ace too?"

"No, you should only cheer for Sabo." Lucci grinned mischievously. "If Ace asks you, just say you're going to help Sabo win."

Luffy looked at Lucci with confusion, but still followed Lucci's instructions and ran to the other side to cheer for Sabo.

Joz looked at Lucci with a puzzled expression, not understanding the meaning behind his actions.

Lucci ignored Jozu's doubts and continued watching the battle, but he was already completely certain of the outcome, and that it would end quickly.

“Sabo, what are you waiting for? An invitation? Let’s get started now!” Ace cracked his knuckles, but he didn’t actually take any action to begin their first match.

He wanted to wait for the blond man to make the first move. The only reason Ace hadn't made a move yet was that he didn't know what moves Sabo actually had, even though he was carrying a pipe.

Sabo resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Ace. It was obvious that Ace was getting impatient. He just didn't know what abilities he had and tried to get him to make the first move. However, Ace was a bit too confident and actually made himself an easier target to attack.

He had faced many guys who shared Ace's confidence, and they either died or had their dreams shattered. He felt he should teach Ace a lesson, to let him know that such confidence could lead to serious losses when facing unknown enemies.

Sabo began to walk toward Ace, his booted feet firmly and almost still on the wood, despite the slight rocking of the boat in the gentle current.

Ace looked at Sabo walking towards him and laughed somewhat maniacally, because they were obviously... finally about to begin.

Just as Ace was preparing to receive the attack, Luffy suddenly shouted encouragement to Sabo. Ace immediately turned to Luffy outside the training area, annoyed, and said, "Hey, Luffy, what are you doing? Why are you only shouting for Sabo?! What about me? Where's my name?"